William  n



(No M odeL) W. N. FORD.

COVER POR TOBACCO PAILS. No. 327.384.l Patented Oct. 6, 1885-.

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'WILLIAM N. FORD, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

COVER FOR TOBACCO-PAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 327,784, dated October 6, 1885.

Serial No. 167,780. (No model.)

.To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM N. FORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indiana-polis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Covers for Tobacco- Pails, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to covers for pails or buckets, such as are used to ship and keep fine-cut chewing-tobacco in, and the objects of my improvements are to provide a cover or lid for such tobacco-pails which will permit of keeping the tobacco in the pail moist without wetting the same, and the construction of which is simpler and less expensive and its operation more perfect than similar devices now in use. I attain these objects by the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a vertical section through my improved tobacco-pail; Fig. 2, an under side view or plan of the cover or lid with the drippan, Fig. 3, a partial vertical cross-section through the cover or lid and drip-pan on line x x on Fig. 2, Fig. 4, a vertical cross-section, partly broken away, through the cover and drip-pan, showing the drip-pan pivoted to the cover instead of being hinged thereto, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A is the tobacco-pail, B the lid or cover. To the under side of said lid or cover B is hinged or pivoted a sheet-metal pau, C, in such a manner that the rim of the pan will lit to the under side of the lid, in which position it is held by a clamp, hook, or any other suitable fastening device, Z, secured to the lid.

Holes c c c are punched through the bottom of the pan O from the under side in such a manner that the metal punched through stands up, forming a circular ange around the holes c c c. By these iianges any water standing in the pan is prevented from running out through the holes c c c onto the tobacco contained in the pail.

Projections or ribs d d d are soldered to the bottom of the pan O in a vertical position with the bottom of the pan. A damp cloth, rag, or blanket, F, is laid on top of and rests on these ribs or projections d (Z d, the ribs forming an air-space between the blanket F and the bottom of the pan O, so that air is permitted to circulate under the entire bottom surface of the blanket F, and absorb all the moisture contained in the same.

The device is operated in the following manner: The pail lid or cover B, whenever the tobacco needs moistening, is taken off from the pail A and laid down top surface down. Then the clamp or hook l is turned or operated so as to unf-asten the rim of the pan O from the lid B. The pan O is then turned over on the hinge h and laid down alongside of the lid B bottom down. The blanket F, after being wetted, is spread over and laid onto the ribs or projections d d d in the pan G. The lid B is then turned on the hinge l1, and laid over the pan C, both being fastened together by the hook or clamp Z.

W'hen the rim of the pan at one point is pivoted to the lid, as shown in Fig. 4, the upturning of the pan and lid in order to get at the blanket is avoided, the pan swinging around horizontally on the pivot 7L.

After the lid and drip-pan are placed on the pail A, the air in the pail circulates through the holes c c c and underneath the wet blanket F, and becoming saturated with moisture imparts the moisture to the tobacco. To facilitate the circulation of the air, a few holes, m m, may be bored through the sides of the pail or through the lid, this, however, being not absolutely necessary, on account of the lid not fitting tight onto the pail. Any drippings from the blanket F are prevented from going through the holes c c c by the upright flanges around said holes.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A cover or lid, B, for tobacco-pails, having a perforated pau, O, hinged or pivoted to its under side, a clamp or fastener, Z, for securing and keeping said pan C to the cover or lid B, the projections or ribs d d d, extending upward from the bottom of the pan C, and the blanket F, all arranged as described, and for the purpose specified.

2. A cover or lid for tobacco-pails, consisting of the cover proper, B, the pan C, hinged L* pivoted to the under side of the cover B, In testimony whereof Ihave signed my naine nd having perforations c c c, with upwardto this specification in the presence of two subirned anges and projecting ribs d d d, the soribing Witnesses.

lamp or fastener Z, to secure the pan C to the VILLIAM N. FORD. d B, and the blanket F, to lay on top of the Witnesses:

'Lbs d d d, all substantially arranged as de- THEODORE LAUGBEiN, zribed, and for the purpose specied. R. P. DAGGETT. 

